The PGA Tour is hosting its final Signature Event of the 2025 season this week, as the world’s best take on TPC River Highlands for the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.
While World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is crushing the course, his good friend, Jordan Spieth, had the opposite experience.
Spieth struggled throughout his opening round and was seen wincing in pain several times, even losing hold of a club. The three-time major champion was 5-over through his first 12 holes before making a decision he had never made before: Spieth withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
Remarkably, this is the first time in his career he has done so, according to the PGA Tour. That is a stretch that spans 297 starts.
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Following the withdrawal, Spieth was seen looking disappointed. According to Golf Digest writer David Dusek, he woke up feeling pain in his neck. As the round progressed, the pain never subsided and he knew it was not going to get any better.
That led to the decision to remove himself from the tournament.
Spieth is a 13-time winner on the PGA Tour, having won the Travelers Championship back in 2017. On skill level alone, he is undeniably one of the more talented players on tour.
His ability around the greens is stuff of legend. However, injuries have derailed his career recently.
He initially suffered a wrist injury in 2017, but managed the pain and played through it for seven years. It eventually became too much, which led to Spieth undergoing wrist surgery last year.
Earlier this year, he reinjured the wrist during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. As the Texas native battled to regain form, his results have been all over the place.
He has made 13 of 15 cuts entering this week, including four top 10s. However, he is yet to be a real threat to win late on a Sunday in 2025. It is unknown at this time how this will affect his plans going forward, including The Open at Royal Portrush in July.
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